Roz

@pontac makes an excellent point. 

My first river cruise was on Uniworld.  I ran into my TA in my local grocery store's produce dept. 🍇🍅🥦🍍🍉.  She had just come back from a Uniworld cruise and raved about it.  Based on what she knew about my likes and dislikes, she said she thought it would be perfect for a solo female interested in history and culture.  

I went home, looked at Uniworld's itineraries online, and picked one.  I called her the following Monday and booked it.  Didn't check out any other lines.  Took 2 more cruises with Uniworld, then did 3 cruises with Tauck.  She told me if I liked Uniworld and its inclusions and solo pricing, I would more than likely enjoy Tauck.

Somewhat related to this, on my last river cruise, a young couple tried skipping breakfast the first full day as a weight management strategy.  When we got back on board at 2 pm (it was announced the night before that lunch would be later due to the excursion schedule), they were feeling tired, famished, and a bit light-headed.  They realized that skipping breakfast on a river cruise with early excursions is a no go. 😀 

Contrary to what's portrayed in TV commercials, most river cruises are very active.  They really keep you going, and at night you're ready to hit the sack so you can be ready to start all over again the next day.

@WriterOnDeck, Princess charges solos double fare most of the time, but awards double points. 

As for onboard spending, as a solo I spend a fair amount.  I'm more likely to book the ship's excursions for safety and security reasons, plus I play bingo, buy a drink or two per day, and book a treatment or two in the spa.

At the same time, I know couples who only drink included beverages, never go to the spa, don't buy anything in the shops, and only book independent excursions.  

Let me simplify your decision for you.  You've never been on a river cruise.  Based on the responses so far,  I'm not seeing significant differences between your 2 choices.  Just pick one and go with it. 😀

After your return, evaluate what you liked and didn't like about the line and ship you chose.  Use this information when booking your 2nd river cruise. 

Every HAL cruise I've taken, we've switched to whatever is the local time.

@Gsel, thanks for the info.  I didn't know that was possible.  Is it pricey?

@PEPE1, welcome to the wonderful world of cruising!

Exactly what excursion are you trying to book?  As @CruiserBruce already explained, Hubbard Glacier is just that, a glacier that you cruise by.  No getting off the ship. 

I checked Uniworld's fares for 2024 and 2025.  Solo pricing, same length and time of year.  Yikes! Very similar to Tauck.  

I've sailed 3 times with Uniworld, so I'll be looking at them for future bookings.  

@Coral, I wasn't contacted about pricing.  I saw the balance due in my Tauck account and emailed my TA.  She had just received an email from Tauck moments before, which she forwarded to me. 

Tauck uses the Pulitzer in Amsterdam. It looks like a beautiful hotel. 

@Coral, this is the first time I've received an offer for a "free" hotel room.  On previous Tauck cruises I booked my own hotel. 

The tour I'm taking is Rhine Connoisseur, consisting of 3 nights at the hotel in Montreux,  and 8 nights on the ship,  sailing from Basel to Brussels.  I'll fly in a day early and not have to change hotels. 

This is a unique itinerary, otherwise I'd be looking at other cruise and tour companies.  I don't blame you if you make a final decision to bail. 

There really aren't any suite benefits unless you book a Neptune or Pinnacle suite. 

Quite a bit more = $1,000 more for the lowest category of cabin.  

I put a $900 deposit as a hold on a Tauck cruise until they published the 2025 fare.  The 2025 itineraries were available but not the price. 

In the meantime, a few days ago I received a 100th anniversary Tauck catalog in the mail.  To celebrate the company's 100th anniversary in 2025, they're offering past guests a free hotel night (pre or post) if they book a 2025 tour or cruise by July 31, 2024. 

My account now shows what my final payment is for the 2025 cruise, and it's quite a bit more than I was anticipating based on the 2024 fare for the same itinerary.  I had the option of canceling, but decided to go ahead.  I contacted my TA about the free hotel night and she said I am, in fact, eligible, so I'll get an extra night at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace on Lake Geneva.  

Anyone notice any other lines' 2025 fares going up a significant amount?

Carnival doesn't offer any perks to suite guests. 

Last year I took 2 HAL cruises  - one was 31 days and the other was 14 days.  Overall I would give the food a solid B+. 

Yes!  I've done it myself. 

8 hours ago, gsutiger2 said:

With American Queen going out of business, I expect Viking bookings to increase. Does it appear Viking is working out the Mississippi River kinks?

 

I'm blown away by the prices and what is offered in return (booking for family members).

Blown away in a good or bad way?

Princess has the best pizza 🍕. 

5 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

This is what employees signed onto. These are the rules. Sometimes, a pax exercises his right to withhold. This is how the game is played.  It's not a game, it's someone's livelihood. 

 

Employees must understand that it is what it is. Instead of resentment, employer and employee should reflect on how to improve the customer experience,  There are some people who are never satisfied.  You can reflect all day if you like,  it's not going to change anything. 

 

 

I would never even think about going into a place of business and questioning the employees about how they're paid,  how much they're paid,  what's their base pay,  do they make tips,  how are the tips divided or distributed,  do they pay taxes,  do they report some or all of their tips,  etc.

Who does this unless they work for the IRS? 🤯

It appears Grand Circle docks at the Port of Amsterdam, which is an industrial port outside of the city center.  The address is Sixhavenweg 15, 1021 HG Amsterdam, Netherlands.

I find it interesting that the only HAL ship I've had bad service on was the Rotterdam.  My sister and I sailed on it in 2022 and had the HIA package.  HAL didn't have to worry about us having 15 drinks because it was next to impossible to get waited on.  MDR service was very slow, and I figured out I needed to allow 2 hrs. if I wanted to see the show afterwards. 

So I don't doubt the OP's service experience.  Could there be something off with the Rotterdam's staffing or hotel management?  Possibly.  However, I don't think removing auto gratuities on future cruises is the way to handle the situation, and my sister and I left our tips in place. We did detail the problems we experienced on our survey. 

As far as telling someone they shouldn't sail HAL because of a bad onboard experience, I think that's rather extreme.  It can happen on any line.  

I'm not sure how one could attribute food poisoning (was it diagnosed as such in the medical clinic?) to a particular restaurant, unless there were other diagnosed cases on the ship among those who dined in the Pinnacle that same evening.  What food(s) caused the food poisoning?  Sometimes people are coming down with an intestinal virus, and then blame it on the last place or food they ate.  

@worldtraveller99, answers to your questions are in red in the post #6 above.  Just expand it. 

On 2/9/2024 at 9:40 AM, worldtraveller99 said:

Thank you so much for this, and for your day by day review Roz. We had enjoyed our Tauck Christmas Markets Rhine cruise last year so much that we have now booked for your Amsterdam to Brussels Tauck Christmas Markets cruise for next year, at the beginning of December. 

 

May I ask - you said there were more family groups. I am not used to this with Tauck, our previous cruise was all couples or solos, who expected to share tables and make friends. Do you think at the beginning of December families will still be in school (hopefully).  The family groups on my  recent Tauck cruises consisted of grandparents and/or parents with young adult children, ranging from late teens to early to mid-twenties.  They would be less influenced by the school calendar, if at all, unless they were attending university.  There were also small families consisting of parents and 1 or 2 adult children, think parents in their 60s or 70s with children who were in their 30s or 40s.  Back in 2022, there were families with grade school age children and younger, along with families with young adults.  The younger children were VERY well behaved and used to traveling.  

 

Tauck reserved tables for groups of 8 (I think that was the number) or more traveling together.  Other solos shared with me that they also got "the look" when they approached a table where the occupants clearly didn't want company.  I wondered if they were people who had never cruised before and didn't realize sharing tables is part of the cruise experience. 

 

We aim to stay an extra day before the start in Amsterdam, at the Park Plaza Victoria opposite the station, arriving on the Eurostar from London. Do we need a transfer, or can we walk to the ship when it is time to board? Where exactly did it dock for you?  Every time I've sailed Tauck or Uniworld from Amsterdam, the ship docked at the terminal at the Eastern Docklands.  Theoretically, it's a 15 minute walk, but consider that you'll be toting suitcases and the weather may be cold, wet, and windy.  I took a taxi from the Doubletree which is right near Centraal Station.  Some people have reported their ship was docked right behind Centraal Station, but that has never been my experience.

 

Re the lady who had to make her own way back to the ship from the Rijksmuseum - if we have all that day free, then we are aiming to do that anyway, to spend another day walking through Amsterdam. What time did the group leave the museum, can you remember, and what time do we need to be back at the ship, ready for the evening Festive Canal Cruise to see the lighted artworks along the canals? I didn't save my daily programs, but as I recall, we left for the evening canal cruise around 5 pm.  Amsterdam was one port where I saw a lot of passengers do their own thing.  After the Rijksmuseum, there's was an optional classical concert at the music hall a block or two from the museum, then back to the ship.  

 

Thank you if you know the answers to any of these!